Did you like those two simple SEO tips from Richard Burckhardt? Well, there is a lot more where they came from. I hope I can share more than two tips in this post – we’ll see.

Don’t be obsessed with PageRank. It is just one isty bitsy part of the ranking algorithm. A site with lower PR can actually outrank one with a higher PR.

This one I really have to internalize. I know, in theory, that there is more to life than PR. However, it is hard when you see your already not-so-good PR of 3 slip down to a worse 2. Still, I think that this tip is a good reminder – let’s not be so focused on PR. It is not everything!

If your site content doesn’t change often, your site needs a blog because search spiders like fresh text. Blog at least three time a week with good, fresh content to feed those little crawlers.

Search engines like unique content that is also quality content. There can be a difference between unique content and quality content. Make sure your content is both.

Here it is again – content. If your web site is not the kind that needs new content on a regular basis, there is always blogging to help.

SEO is not a one-shot process. The search landscape changes daily, so expect to work on your optimization daily.

This is another good reminder. SEO takes time, it is not a one shot deal.

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…that even your mother would love. That is how Richard Burckhardt titled his blog post on this and I love it! The original title of the post is “51 Quick SEO Tips Even Your Mother Would Love” but we cannot cover ALL of those 51 tips here so I am picking out my favorites of the bunch. Here they are.

Content is king, so be sure to have good, well-written and unique content that will focus on your primary keyword or keyword phrase.

I have written about this topic many times so nothing more needs to be added to this. However, here is a related tip:

If content is king, then links are queen. Build a network of quality backlinks using your keyword phrase as the link. Remember, if there is no good, logical reason for that site to link to you, you don’t want the link.

I think that it is very important to stress the quality of the link. I have seen so many propositions for link exchanges and even though they may be tempting, it is vital that the unrelated sites be weeded out. Google is not stupid. Just because many sites link to your site does not mean that they are “legit” – that they linked because of your content. They know that people exchange links as easily as they change their clothes. If I were you, I’d choose who I link to and who links to me as well.

More of these quick SEO tips in the next post.

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In the previous post, we took a look at how to use the command site: in Google. We talked about the syntax and one advantage of using it – that is, to find out how much of your site is indexed. Are there other advantages to using the site: command? Are there any other pieces of information that we can make use of? Of course! Let us take a look at more of them.

I am assuming that you tried using the site: command with your domain name already. If so, did you notice that beside each result that you got from the search, there was a link named “cached?” Before, I didn’t really pay attention to this. Then I learned that it actually means something in terms of SEO. If you click this link, you will see the page and then some information is displayed.

That information is important – it tells you when that page was last crawled by Google. So how is this important again? Well, the more often that your pages get crawled, the better. So if your page has not been cached in a long time, you need to adjust your strategy and maybe tweak your content.

Another thing is that you can actually find out if you have duplicate content by using the site: command. If you see different URLs having the same content (for example http://yourdomain.com/about and https://yourdomain.com/about) then you can do something about – delete one.

Any personal experiences with this command?

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If you like using Google a lot (who doesn’t, really?), then you must know that there are various commands that you can use aside from simply entering keywords in the search box. These commands can help in narrowing down searches and getting more relevant results immediately. What might not be commonly known, however, is that many of the commands can be used for SEO purposes, more specifically, to analyze the performance of your web site.

One such command is the site: command. The syntax is very simple:

site:yourdomain

So, for example, you want to use this command for Smart PageRank, you need to key in

site:smartpagerank.com

Now that you know how to use that command, what is its use? Is it simply a cool thing to do or does it have implications for SEO? Of course it does!

One piece of information that you can find out from the results of a search of using this command is how much of your site is indexed. The idea behind this kind of search is that all or a large number of the pages in your web site should come up in the results. So, for example, if your web site has 300 pages and only 50 results show up, then that means there is a problem with the navigation. That means that Google is not seeing the other pages.

Naturally, you have to fix this problem. How can people find out about your other pages if they cannot be found by Google? Try optimizing your site map if you have one. Also, work on getting more inbound links to your other pages.

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During hard economic times – like the one we are in right now – many things are cut off from people’s budgets. Personal expenses are drastically cut down. Business expenses are not exempt as well. Somehow, people find ways and means by which to lessen spending in order to weather the financial storm. Peripheral spending and nonessential expenses are usually the first to go.

If you are thinking of cutting off your SEO expenses because of the credit crunch, you might want to think again. Ephipany Solutions explains the situation:

Firms should not cut back on search engine optimisation (SEO) spending because of the credit crunch, it has been argued.

Daniel Robinson of Vizcom Design Limited suggested that SEO strategies can play an important part in the success of a business and claimed that such marketing strategies can help firms to stand out in the marketplace.

Indeed, this is particularly imperative during times of economic difficulty, he remarked.

The spokesman said: “Marketing and SEO can be key to helping some businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors during a recession and win vital work to keep them going or even grow.”

I see the sense in what he is saying. There are peripherals that may not help you keep afloat but SEO just might do the trick in these hard times.

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In the previous post, we took a look at two of the best forums to visit if you want to learn more about web site optimization, courtesy of About.com. Let us take a look at a few more and hopefully, you guys will be able to visit them and pick up an insight or two.

Web Site Optimization Forum #3: Webmaster World
WebmasterWorld.com is a great Web site optimization forum. Lots of intense design discussions here, as well as topics such as search engines, search engine marketing, paid inclusion, and more. This is a very active forum and topics change fast. I personally enjoy the Marketing World sub-forum the most.

Web Site Optimization Forum #4: Cre8asite Forums
Cre8asite Forums are great for learning about anything from website usability to blogs and RSS to Web site optimization and more. I especially enjoy the Tutorials section, there’s always something good here.

Web Site Optimization Forum #5: SEO Chat
SEOchat forums are good forums for getting fast answers to somewhat difficult or complicated questions. The topics are all about different aspects of Web site optimization – anything from Alexa ranking to link popularity to Google AdWords. This is a forum that I tend to visit quite often; there’s just so much good info here.

Web Site Optimization Forum #6: Digital Point Forums
Digital Point’s forums are another good place on the Web to get information about anything to do with Web site optimization. You can also find support for the Digital Point Keyword Tracker here.

There are several more items on the list at About.com. If I were you, I would take a look at them. You can never get enough information!

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One of the things that I like best about the Internet is how easy it is to exchange information with other people. One of the most informative and interactive ways to do so is by becoming involved in various forums. In terms of search engine optimization, there are countless forums out there from which any person can glean tons of useful information. At the same time, you can also share your own experiences and tips. But if you are new to these things, which forum do you go to? About.com came up with a list of the best forums out there which focus on web site optimization. Let’s pay some of them a visit?

Web Site Optimization Forum #1: High Rankings
HighRankings.com is a forum put together by Jill Whalen, one of the shining stars in the Web site optimization world. I like this forum because of the variety of people that contribute, the discussions are informative and friendly, and all skill levels are encouraged to participate.

High Rankings is at the top of their list. I paid this site a visit and was impressed at the activity of its members. By the way, there are more topics than SEO. I think I shall spend more time browsing through their threads.

Web Site Optimization Forum #2: Search Engine Watch
SearchEngineWatch.com is one of the best places on the Web to get information about search, search engine technology, search engine news, search engine optimization, etc., and their forums are much the same. Danny Sullivan is one of the moderators of these forums, and I always learn something new every time I drop in. Lots of great discussions about anything from algorithms to Yahoo.

What I like about this site is how the topics are arranged. I find it very organized and easy to navigate, thus I spend less time trying to find something that is relevant to me.

(to be continued)

Photo courtesy of FredArmitage

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I think I have been watching too much of the Mythbusters lately – I find myself on a mythbusting spree! Then again, this is not necessarily a bad thing, is it? I think that today, I shall go on a web site optimization mythbusting mission. Come take the journey with me!

I am but a regular person. Web site optimization is too complicated for me.
NOT! Web site optimization CAN be hard. However, there are some basic elements to it that any person (with the most rudimentary understanding of technology) can use to optimize his web site. Do not let this way of thinking hinder you from working wonders on your web site. (Perhaps in the future we can look at these basic steps for web site optimization.)

It is too late in the game. I cannot possibly catch up with the web site optimization game.
Again, NOT. More and more people are only starting on their web site optimization journey. Do not belittle yourself so much that you think you cannot do it. There is no such thing as too late. You only have to learn the basics (here is that term again!) and then move on from there.

I just need to submit my site to search engines. Then I have my work done.
NOPE. Submitting to search engines is one step. It does not mean that you cannot do other things to optimize your web site, though. The truth is, merely submitting your site to search engines cannot guarantee any results.

Want to know more? Wait for the next post.

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We have taken a look at several reasons your efforts at SEO may not be giving you the results that you have been aiming for. Just to recap, we took a look at several things such as wrong keywords, infrequent updates, and lack of inbound links. You can probably say that these are quite on the technical side. What do you do if you keep on doing the right things with regard to these points but your efforts at SEO do not seem to be gaining you anything?

Perhaps you might be overlooking one simple aspect – your content. It might be simple but it is quite important as well. What do I mean? You may be using the right keywords and your content may be dense with them BUT if you do not provide interesting content, how do you think you can maintain the attention of your readers?

One problem that many people engaging in SEO practices have is that they tend to forget all about the “humans” who read their web site. What happens is that they tend to focus on getting the search engines’ attention. The result is dry and uninteresting content. Now put yourself in your readers’ shoes. If you visit a site which has great SEO strategy but does not really present the content in an engaging way, would you keep returning to that site? Probably not.

So if I were you, and I was not getting the results I want, I would check on my content. I would make sure that I am giving my human readers something useful, something to look forward to.

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